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By Toby Meyjes
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President Donald Trump launched a blistering rebuke of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) saying the U.S. "needs nothing" from the alliance and will "never forget" their response to the Iran war.
In an all-caps post on his Truth Social social media platform on Thursday, Trump wrote: "NATO NATIONS HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP WITH THE LUNATIC NATION, NOW MILITARILY DECIMATED, OF IRAN. THE U.S.A. NEEDS NOTHING FROM NATO, BUT 'NEVER FORGET' THIS VERY IMPORTANT POINT IN TIME!"
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Why It Matters
Trump has repeatedly aired his frustration with Washington's NATO allies during the course of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. European leaders had pushed back on Trump's calls early in the conflict to help break Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway for oil in the Middle East.
Iran has had a stranglehold on the shipping route since the conflict began, with most maritime traffic through the waterway halted. Earlier this week, Tehran offered "non-hostile" ships safe passageway through the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's crude oil is transported.
The effective blockade has caused a worldwide energy shock with countries in Asia particularly impacted because of their heavy reliance on oil imports. On Tuesday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a national energy emergency.
Meanwhile, gas prices have rocketed. According to GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan, diesel prices in California and Washington hit an all-time average price high this week. The AAA said the national average gas price on Thursday was $3.981 a gallon.
What Has Trump Said About NATO?
After a request for help went unanswered, Trump told reporters in the White House on March 17, that he was "disappointed in" NATO, noting that the U.S. has spent "trillions of dollars" on the alliance over the years.
Days later, the president referred to his allies as "cowards" in a post on Truth Social, writing: "Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!"
The U.S. relationship with the alliance was already under strain before the Iran conflict after Trump's push to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory within fellow-NATO member Denmark, earlier in the year.
His stance drew criticism from European allies and NATO. On Wednesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who clashed with Trump over the future of Greenland, submitted her government's resignation after her left-wing coalition fell short of securing enough seats to form a government in Tuesday's election.
Update, 3/26/26, 10.28 a.m. ET: This story was updated with more information.
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